Horse Racing Facts that Everyone Should Know

Horse racing as a sport has always seemed to adjust its gait in a way, so that it manages to attract a select audience without causing mass media sensations. While some would believe this to be the horse racing associations’ underlying policy, others claim that no establishment worldwide would act in this manner.

Whatever your opinion is, horse racing has definitely taken a turn for globalization, especially since it became evident that everyone – not only the wealthy and noble – could take part. Still, there are many things that people are yet to learn about this sport, and the following facts are a good way to get you started.

• Australia has the most racecourse tracks in the world, currently amount to an astonishing 479 and still counting. This is rather surprising, considering that the sport was originally introduced on British and not Australian territory, but this hasn’t stopped it from expanding its horizons.


• The sport of horse racing used to be regarded as a pastime much more than an athletic challenge. Due to this, it was only recently that people started betting on it like on any other, but this hasn’t prevented it from flourishing at a rapid pace. As this odds shows, much of this progress is due to the great winning opportunities the sport is able to provide.


• After all, people are estimated to bet around $100 billion per year on this sport solely.


• Horse racing is all about style, and this has come to apply to the thoroughbreds as much as to the spectators. Namely, jockey clubs nowadays recognize 9 different colours for these breads of horses – black, chestnut, bay, dark bay/brown, gray/roan, roan, gray, white and palomino.


• There is little risk you could forget a horse’s birthday – those born in the Northern Hemisphere all have January the 1^st as their birth date, while horses born in the Southern Hemisphere consider 1^st of August as their special day, regardless of their actual birth month. This helps the breeders keep track of the horses’ age, especially since horses’ eligibility to race at certain events depends on this factor.


• The horse called Never Mind II is known to have recorded the slowest time in a race back in 1945. The track was two miles long, and it took the horse 11 minutes and 28 seconds to finish it. What is even more surprising is that this was the actual winning time for the race – Never Mind II didn’t want to go over a fence and was abandoned by the jockey at the tracks. However, when he found out that all the other contestants had dropped out of the race in one way or another, he returned to Never Mind II and finished the race at ease.


• If you thought that having a big-hearted companion or partner is the best, just wait until you see what it’s like to have a big-hearted horse. The expression is somewhat literal when it comes to race horses, as those with larger hearts are considered at an advantage over those with average-sized hearts.